Schroer: The positive power of young people

I’ve had it with the incessant din of bad national news (Trump administration bungling, confusion and worse, North Korean missile launch into the Sea of Japan, Russian deployment of unauthorized cruise missiles...and that is just this week!).

My thoughts turn to a recent wintry Saturday I spent at the invitation of Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s office to interview, as part of a committee, high school senior candidates for application to the military academies.

Each Senator and Congressman/woman has an allocation of “slots” for placement of their constituents in one of the military academies -- Army, Navy, Air Force, Merchant Marine.

As a former Army officer and, at one time, enlisted instructor at West Point I was invited to participate on this screening committee.

I can’t tell you what a fulfilling, rewarding day it was to spend interviewing some of the best and brightest high school students Michigan has to offer. These young people were smart, athletic, enthusiastic and giving back to their community. Each had a story of daily negotiating the complex business of going to school, participating in one or more varsity sports, being engaged in extracurricular activities like the debating club or robotics and then taking part in a community service organization such as a conservation group or Big Brothers/Sisters. To a person their calendar rivals that of a senior executive at a major corporation.

However, they weren’t a “wunderkind” of super hero or automatons. They were by degrees funny, shy, thoughtful, interested in the committee members and still unsure about their future, like many 18-year-olds. They were fun to talk with, they were good kids and they wanted to serve the country. What a concept.

I was also pleasantly struck by the diversity of the candidates who made the final list. While the number of women didn’t equal the number of men they represented a very sizable minority - one-third. This is in marked contrast to my time at West Point, when there were no women. Zero. Lest you think that was the dark ages, it was 1975. The first class of women to enter West Point was in 1976 with the first woman to graduate in 1980.

This year’s final list also included African-Americans and candidates of Middle East ethnicity. That is important because our military has a history of being the single most significant training ground for national leadership. More than 70 percent of U.S. presidents have served in the military. As importantly, the military leadership of our country -- as well as leadership in our industry and civic government -- needs to look like our society as a whole, not an exclusive club for WASP males.

The military academies also contribute significantly to the leadership pool of civil society. Some 25 percent to 30 percent of service academy graduates leave the service after their mandatory obligation, and military retirees often take leadership positions in private industry or government.

However, these “best and brightest” young people heading to the military academies are far from alone. There are many outstanding young high school men and women around our state who are choosing civilian colleges and a private sector career. They are just as talented, athletic and fun. They, too, are our future. If you take the time to visit with some of these young people, you may experience the mild euphoria I did.

It's that sense our future, which we see beset by obstacles and challenges, is not without hope. In fact, things just might work out -- and spring appears to be arriving. Bonus!

Bill Schroer is principal of the WJSchroer Co., a Battle Creek-based marketing and research firm.